After successfully attaining orbit on 27 April 1994, the first of NOAA's current series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites was renamed GOES-8 from GOES-I.

GOES-8 operates as NOAA's "eastern" satellite (stationed over 75 degrees W) and GOES-10 (stationed over 135 W) is the "western" satellite. Together, they cover the contiguous U.S., including portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans off its coastlines.